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Richarlison seems to be trying some new psychological tactics ahead of the derby after making some bold comments.

Liverpool and Everton are prepared to lock horns tomorrow evening as they return to Premier League action in a Merseyside derby at Goodison Park. The runaway leaders are just two wins away from clinching their first top flight title in 30 years, but the Toffees will of course be yearning to slow down their unstoppable run.

Everton forward Richarlison has given his tuppence worth on Virgil van Dijk, claiming that he is not the best defender in the world. “People talk a lot about him, yes he is a great defender but I’ve already dribbled past him,” the Brazilian boasted (via talkSPORT).

“He was chosen as one of the top three in the world as he had an excellent season. But yes, for me there are better defenders.”

Richarlison has named Thiago Silva, Marquinhos and Sergio Ramos as centre-backs who he feels are better than the Dutchman.

The comments, relayed via @LFCTransferRoom, have attracted a lot of attention from Liverpool fans. The majority are simply laughing at the forward’s bold statement, with one commenting “Richarlison’s had a mare”.

Read more replies from amused Reds fans here:

What do you think about Richarlison’s comments, Reds? Join the conversation in the comments below!

Newcastle United are prepared to offer Tottenham Hotspur £5m for Danny Rose this summer. 

The left-back has quickly become Steve Bruce’s first choice in that position after moving to Newcastle on loan in January. According to Football Insider, the Magpies are keen to sign the Tottenham ace in the summer.

Rose appears to be destined to leave north London once and for all as Spurs are set to sanction a transfer. The Lilywhites are willing to let him leave as he has entered the final 12 months of his contract.

While dialogue between the defender and Jose Mourinho has been civil, there is no love lost between the two. Recent reports have suggested that Spurs are ready to reach an agreement as quickly as possible, although Rose is looking for a long-term deal.

The 30-year-old, who is best mates with former Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck, is keen to extend his stay at St James’ Park.

A permanent move could be beneficial for all parties involved, as there is no way back for him at Tottenham. He was once considered to be one of the best full-backs in Europe, as he was valued at £50m at the peak of his powers and even attracted attention from Manchester United, but his star has waned in recent years and he seems to have settled for a stint in Tyneside instead.

The England international has received offers from overseas but he wants to stay in the Premier League.

Mourinho is well aware that his budget has been severely slashed as a result of the unprecedented market circumstances. A little could go a long way, as he knows he will have to rely on swap deals, signing free agents and bargains in the summer, and he may be tempted to cut his losses and accept the offer from Newcastle.

In turn, he could promote Dennis Cirkin instead and look to bolster his squad elsewhere.

Tottenham fans, should Daniel Levy sell Danny Rose in the summer? Let us know in the comments below!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Jose Mourinho issued an emphatic rebuttal when he was asked about the possibility of Tottenham Hotspur signing Bruno Fernandes.

He said that he would “definitely say no” to the prospect of signing the Sporting Lisbon ace, who was a target throughout the summer transfer window, per The Daily Mail.

What a refreshing change for Spurs.

While this is a player who could have joined the club in the most recent transfer window – Sporting’s president confirmed a bid was tabled – they appear to have moved on. It probably helps that Fernandes has actually signed a new contract at the Portuguese club.

But at last fans have some clarity.

One only needs to do a cursory Google of the search terms “Pochettino” and “transfer” to see how non-committal he used to be.

There would be an “I don’t know about transfers” here and an outright refusal to answer the question there and it led to a constant media frenzy around who Spurs could sign because Pochettino never moved to deny any rumours.

Here, with Mourinho, he’s already done it twice. First, he was asked about the possibility of a reunion with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, with whom he worked at Inter Milan and Manchester United. He said it would make “no sense” to bring him into a club that already boasts Harry Kane.

Now, with Fernandes, he has killed the speculation with three words.

Money talks: How much did Levy pay for each of these Spurs stars?

And while it may be a blow for some supporters who believe Fernandes would be a good signing – he has 11 goals to his name already this season – at least there is a clear line of thought that everyone can follow.

Too often, Pochettino spoke in riddles, giving almost nothing away and actually leaving more questions than answers when he talked.

Mourinho is the straight-talking antithesis of that and it makes a marked difference in his interactions with the media.

His straightforwardness is likely to win him friends in north London; long may it continue.

Meanwhile, Spurs fans have reacted to a report on Christian Eriksen’s future.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Tony Cascarino has told talkSPORT that Gerard Deulofeu would be a perfect fit for Liverpool.

What did he say?

The Watford winger was in action for the Hornets on Saturday at Anfield, as his side were defeated 2-0 by Jurgen Klopp’s men.

Watch Liverpool Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

After the match, Cascarino said that the 25-year-old would do well for the Reds. He explained: “Deulofeu caused Liverpool a lot of problems.

“He runs in behind, always wants to take players on and he’s very good at it.

“I could see him in the Liverpool team. We talk about players who Liverpool might look for further down the line.

“I know he’s been at Barcelona and Everton but he’s that type of player and would fit perfectly into their [Liverpool’s] system.

“He probably wouldn’t make the starting line-up but like [Xherdan] Shaqiri, he could come in and do a fabulous job because he really hurts you.”

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The former Barcelona man had one or two good moments during the match, but his overall display was emblematic of a difficult season for the Hornets so far this campaign – disappointing.

Can you name the result these iconic Liverpool images belong to? Give it a go now…

According to SofaScore, he was actually the worst player on the pitch, with a rating of just 6.2. Usually one of the London outfit’s most exciting players – he has the most key passes and the joint-most dribbles amongst his teammates – he failed to cause too many problems for a side that has conceded in all but four games so far this Premier League season.

During the 90 minutes, he failed to provide a single key pass, and also had just one shot. He also failed to land a single cross, which was disappointing considering that Troy Deeney was in the middle and was waiting for some decent service.

He did win his side three fouls, but it won’t have been enough for Jurgen Klopp to stand up and take notice. With a Transfermarkt market value of £22.5m and a contract that runs until 2023, as well, he would not come too cheap, especially if he is to be just a back-up for one of Roberto Firmino or Sadio Mane.

Divock Origi has done a pretty good job in terms of replacing the former when called upon, whilst teenager Curtis Jones, who is captain of the youth team, has surely earned himself a chance to be an alternative option for the Senegal international with his displays at youth level.

Cascarino is a bit off the mark here. The four-time Spain international is a decent player, but with just two goals and two assists in 14 starts this term, he has not done enough to be linked with a move to Liverpool. He should concentrate on the relegation battle he is in rather than listening to the former Republic of Ireland international.

In other news, this Liverpool man’s work-rate is underappreciated.

Leeds left it late to beat Luton on Saturday afternoon as last-gasp heroics from Patrick Bamford did enough to silence his doubters.The forward hit the post in the first half before opening the scoring in the second, taking Ben White’s ball in his stride and then burying the opportunity. Following that, the former Middlesbrough man got across his marker in the 90th minute to slide the ball home and wrap up all three points.But after he took pelters at half time, another one of his teammates also hadn’t done enough to convince supporters.That happened to be Luke Ayling, someone who according to fans, was at fault for a second goal in as many games.[ad_pod ]The defender was beaten to the ball and the Hatters consequently scored an equaliser. One individual suggested that Ayling’s Achilles heal was in the air while another decided to describe him in more simpler terms, labelling the Leeds man a donkey.A further supporter said they didn’t rate the 28-year-old at all.Ayling spent the opening months of the season out through injury before returning to the side, where he’s featured at right-back and in the centre of defence since returning. He’s also signed a new deal this term as well.Here’s the best of the reaction.

This article forms part of our The Ones That Got Away feature series, which is where Football Transfer Tavern take a look back at players linked with moves in the past, and see how they would have made an impact had they signed for the interested side.

Back in the summer of 2015, Arsenal were a team hunting the title. With the financial shackles imposed on the club due to their move to the Emirates Stadium seemingly swept away following the club-record buy of Mesut Ozil some two years prior, the Gunners had started to flex their economic muscle as they threatened to top the English pyramid.

While their campaigns in 2013/14 and 2014/15 ended in Premier League disappointment (despite season-ending FA Cup triumphs), Arsenal had welcomed the big-money additions of Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, though to no avail in pursuit of title glory.

Having gained one place following the addition of the Chilean, an onslaught on the summit was surely within the Gunners’ reach. The acquisition of Petr Cech may have been a big-name arrival in the off-season but he remained their priciest incoming at £12.6m – after failing to bring in Marco Reus that same summer.

According to Sport Bild (via Sport Witness), the Gunners were prepared to spend £48m on the Borussia Dortmund winger, before he decided to stay in Germany.

The approach for Reus made sense from Arsenal’s point of view; the club were short of solid, top-class wide options in attack, especially with the likes of Theo Walcott filling in at centre-forward throughout their Gunners careers.

But for whatever reason, Arsene Wenger’s backup plan seemed to be relying on Joel Campbell and the emerging talent of Alex Iwobi to fulfil a position that was essentially neglected as Arsenal struggled for consistent results in the title run-in that year.

Their unsuccessful approach for Reus had broken a recent trend that saw Arsenal substantially add to their squad – and in a year where champions Chelsea went into meltdown while both Manchester clubs were far below-par, a rather standard season in terms of points for the Gunners (just four fewer than the previous campaign) saw them relinquish the opportunity for a first title in 12 years to Leicester City.

Reus has remained loyal to Dortmund and continues to deliver for them today – though his lengthy injury history may have been detrimental to any title tilt involving the German.

Still, he netted 23 times that season.

With that in mind, the 2015/16 season arguably remains one of Arsenal’s biggest ‘what if’ moments in recent memory – and the failed pursuit of Reus may, in hindsight, stick out as a potential turning point as they were unable to bring the title home.

Arsenal fans, would Reus have been a success at the club? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers.

Former Everton man Michael Ball has identified the club’s main issue as their inability to produce quality in the final third.

What did he say?

Everton have struggled both defensively and in attack this season, forcing them into an early relegation scrap as a result. The club’s 11 goals from 11 games in the Premier League currently puts them in 17th and has heaped immense pressure on the players and Marco Silva.

Ball told the Liverpool Echo: “We just need more quality in the final third, that’s what’s been letting us down when sometimes it seems like we run out of ideas a little bit.

“We’re okay at passing around the back and in midfield but if we can get it right more often in that final third, it can help get us back up that league table.”

Lack of quality and consistency

Som Everton players have proven to be a handful in previous seasons. The likes of Richarlison and Gylfi Sigurdsson scored 13 league goals last season, whilst Alex Iwobi’s six assists with Arsenal last year prove he can be creative.

However, this season, Iwobi has not assisted at all and Richalison and Sigurdsson have just three league goals between them.

Part of this is also down to Marco Silva, who has constantly chopped and changed his side. The former Watford boss has often gone with Richarlison up top but then tried the Brazilian out on the wings as well.

Then there is Moise Kean, who Silva doesn’t seem to understand whatsoever. The Italian scored seven goals from a centre-forward position with Juventus last season, but Silva has resorted to playing him as a winger on a handful of occasions.

The 42-year-old needs to establish his strongest starting XI to transform Everton’s fortunes in the final third.